MasterChef finalist Alex Rushmer closes the Hole in the Wall restaurant

Alex Rushmer has closed his two-AA-rosette restaurant the Hole in the Wall in Little Wilbraham, Cambridge.

Rushmer, a MasterChef 2010 finalist, decided not to renew the lease on the restaurant which opened in 2011.

A statement on the website said: "The Hole in the Wall is now closed. We would like to thank all of our guests, our suppliers and our brilliant, outstanding, exceptional team, for helping to create such a unique and special restaurant. This will not be the last you hear from us: watch this space…"

The Hole in the Wall was included as one of the top 100 restaurants in the UK by The Sunday Times in 2017 and was voted as one of the best restaurants in the UK by the Observer Food Monthly magazine.

Rushmer told the Cambridge News that closing had "been in the pipeline for quite a while" and staff and suppliers were all made aware six months previous.

He said: "The restaurant was good for my own personal development, but people know that being a full-time chef is a time consuming job, and being a business owner on top of that adds even more work.

"I worked 75, 80, sometimes 90 hours a week, and what became increasingly evident was that having the time to be creative had become more and more difficult. I'm looking forward to getting back to the root of what my cooking is about, which is creativity."

MasterChef finalists to cook at D&D's Meza during London Restaurant Festival >>

Pub of the Year winner buys freehouse in Cambridgeshire >>

Videos from The Caterer archives

Are you looking for a new role? See all the current hospitality vacancies available with The Caterer Jobs